Upgrade to Pro
— share decks privately, control downloads, hide ads and more …
Speaker Deck
Features
Speaker Deck
PRO
Sign in
Sign up for free
Search
Search
Breaking down the Truth about Business - Conver...
Search
Rob
April 15, 2016
Business
160
0
Share
Embed
Copy iframe code
Copy JS code
Copy link
Start on current slide
Breaking down the Truth about Business - Converge 2016
Rob
April 15, 2016
More Decks by Rob
See All by Rob
Unified Theory of Studio Operations
robharr
0
110
Biz Dev: Do any of us know what we are doing?
robharr
0
80
Studio Operations & Forecasting: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - NYC 2019
robharr
0
110
Running Awesome Discovery Projects
robharr
0
360
Making sure the juice is worth the squeeze - Manage Digital 2019
robharr
1
150
Rules to Live By: Growing a Healthy Team: For People Who Run Teams or Organizations - HOW Design Live 2019
robharr
0
100
PeersConf 2019: Operations and Forecasting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
robharr
1
200
Workshop: Studio Operations & Forecasting: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - Owner Summit 2019
robharr
0
150
Workshop: Studio Operations & Forecasting: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
robharr
0
190
Other Decks in Business
See All in Business
スマサテでの日々 -Sumasate Tour Deck-
sumasate
0
650
スクラムマスターの観察眼 〜AIによる3days爆速キャッチアップと次の一手〜/The Scrum Master's Insight: Lightning-Fast 3-Day Catch-Up with AI and the Next Move
ikuodanaka
3
520
若手としての正解を得られなかった話~でもたぶん生きのこれる~
chronoll
0
390
「この数字おかしくない?」対応に追われていたのに、 Claude Codeで設計改善まで着手できた話
matsumotokoki
0
210
「プロダクトヒストリーカンファレンス2026」リチェルカ投影資料
recerqainc
0
250
OKRの本質 / Scrum Fest Osaka 2026
kawaguti
PRO
2
170
株式会社ripples(リップルズ)-Company Deck
ripples_deck
0
720
マルチエージェント入門:チームで動くAIと非エンジニアのための設計(Claude Code)
forest8810
0
430
GRIFFIN GROUP 企業説明資料
griffin2012
0
430
GMOメイクショップ株式会社 会社説明資料
gmomakeshop
0
600
「ユーザー価値か、事業成果か?」 そんな意思決定で悩む前に PMがやるべきこと
inagakikay
2
880
会社説明資料2026.7.1
mforce
0
190
Featured
See All Featured
Impact Scores and Hybrid Strategies: The future of link building
tamaranovitovic
0
350
sira's awesome portfolio website redesign presentation
elsirapls
0
310
Exploring the relationship between traditional SERPs and Gen AI search
raygrieselhuber
PRO
2
4.2k
Digital Projects Gone Horribly Wrong (And the UX Pros Who Still Save the Day) - Dean Schuster
uxyall
1
2.2k
Documentation Writing (for coders)
carmenintech
77
5.4k
Getting science done with accelerated Python computing platforms
jacobtomlinson
2
370
A Guide to Academic Writing Using Generative AI - A Workshop
ks91
PRO
1
360
Site-Speed That Sticks
csswizardry
13
1.4k
State of Search Keynote: SEO is Dead Long Live SEO
ryanjones
0
240
Rails Girls Zürich Keynote
gr2m
96
14k
How GitHub (no longer) Works
holman
316
150k
JavaScript: Past, Present, and Future - NDC Porto 2020
reverentgeek
52
6k
Transcript
Rob Harr BREAKING DOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS @robertharr
None
None
None
None
BREAKING DOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS GETTING STARTED
Running a business is really hard.
Starting a business. TAN GEN T!
Our Craft What we believe. Business TAN GEN T!
Our Craft The Truth. Business TAN GEN T!
Have a purpose.
Autonomy TAN GEN T!
None
You have to be intentional.
You have to be a little crazy.
None
None
There is no “One Way.”
BREAKING DOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS THE ZEN OF RUNNING
A SERVICE BUSINESS
This is a cash intensive business.
The employee arrangement Sarah 2080 hours a year Developer Salary
Vacation Benefits
Our Fake Team $45k $80k $100k $60k Salary $21 $38
$48 $28 Hourly Rate
TAN GEN T! People have different values in different contexts.
20% 5% 6% 11% 58% Your Budget 58% Compensation 11%
General + Admin 6% Rent 5% Advertising 20% Net Margin
20% 5% 6% 11% 58% Your Budget 58% Compensation
For most of us it comes down to staff utilization.
Slack Projects and Maintenance Agreements TAN GEN T!
There are seasons for things.
TAN GEN T! Surviving Growing Thriving
TAN GEN T! Surviving Growing Thriving
Having a plan vs planning
None
You will always have something to do.
None
It is ok to punt to future you. TAN GEN
T!
Work the right hours. TAN GEN T!
Embrace the “Office of the Presidency”
It is a marathon.
BREAKING DOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
#1 Cashflow
Freedom is not free
6 months
Most of our costs are fairly consistent and predictable.
Plan for taxes all year long.
Separate your operating accounts from your savings account.
Micro-Cash flow
Micro-Cash flow
Micro-Cash flow
Operations
#2 Employees
I am in the talent business.
People are our biggest asset.
2 kinds of Companies: Talent Producers Talent Consumers
3 months for new Employees to become productive.
People Over Process
Why Projects Fail. TAN GEN T!
Act like you are in business for yourself. TAN GEN
T!
Embrace your staff’s super powers.
Clearly set team expectations.
#3 Finding work
12 to 18 months
Most client will not grow with you.
Sell to your existing clients. TAN GEN T!
Focus on long term relationships during your sales process.
Find something smaller to sell to bigger clients.
Pricing
Don’t steal your client’s story.
BREAKING DOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS DIFFICULT THINGS ARE STILL
GOING TO HAPPEN
Unexpected business tax.
Taxes.
Some of the people you hire will leave.
Negotiate pricing with Clients.
Sometimes you have to offer them something. TAN GEN T!
RFP’s
You will have off quarters.
There will be dragons.
None
WRAP IT UP BREAKING DOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS
There are no shortcuts.
Limited Control.
Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business:
Life is too short to work with people you hate.
Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1:
If you ever become annoyed by a client, it is
only because you’re not charging them enough money. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1: Rule 2:
Accept the fact that you will be completely wrong about
things that you are sure you learned.
Want more? Businessology Podcast BizCraft Podcast Unmatched Style Podcasts Code
and Supply Podcasts
THANKS! @robertharr
[email protected]